When can I check in and check out of Dernwood Farm Wild Camping?

Camping and touring Arrive: 2 p.m. – Anytime Depart by: 1:30 p.m. Read more

How much does it cost to stay at Dernwood Farm Wild Camping?

From £24 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.

Dernwood Farm Wild Camping

View prices & book 9.2 15 reviews

Wild-style camping at a farm 10 minutes' drive from Heathfield
Near Cuckoo Trail cycle path; 25 mins' drive to Herstmonceux Castle
Shop on site for farm-reared meat; firepits to hire

If you've ever fancied the idea of wild camping but are also reluctant to give up the convenience of having essential amenities to hand, a spot at East Sussex site Dernwood Farm Wild Camping may well fit the bill. The emphasis here is on a peaceful, rural and eco-friendly experience, but with a few added modern facilities: two toilets and a shower block are on hand, as is a covered washing-up area with a stand pipe. Campfire meals are an essential part of the experience too: you'll be able to source logs and tripods on site and bag yourself some succulent steak, bangers and bacon from the farm shop (rated among the top five in the country). Given its quality, Dernwood Farm's produce is understandably popular, so it’s worth ordering your meat on arrival to make sure of getting exactly what you want. Heathfield (10 minutes' drive) has shops for any other bits you may need. The large wild camping field is tucked away in the midst of 70 acres of ancient woodland. No cars are allowed, so you’ll need to trundle your gear down a leafy lane using the barrows and trolleys supplied. Once you've settled in, you can get to back to nature with some tree climbing, camp building and wildlife spotting: badgers, bunnies, buzzards and fallow deer can often be spotted around the woods. There's plenty of space on site, but the owners keep a limit on the number of visitors, so you certainly won’t be tripping over other campers. There's also a no-music rule in place to keep things peaceful for everyone.

Site type

Opens 2 May

Please note

Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.
The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).
Single-sex bookings of 6 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
No cars/motorbikes by the pitch/unit. All cars must be parked in the designated area.
The site caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.
At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
This is a quiet site: no music is allowed.
Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
If reception is closed on arrival: please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Languages spoken

English

Open from Fri, 2 May to Mon, 1 Sept 2025

Pitch types & availability

Non-electric grass tent pitch

6 people maximum

Ground type: Grass

Pitch size: unlimited

6 people maximum

One Tent allowed per pitch

Additional units require additional pitches - quick book via 'Make another booking like this' after making your booking.

Pitch size

unlimited

Ground type

Grass

0 rooms

Suitable for

Tent, (Trailer tent not allowed)

Features

Bring a gazebo 1 included, 1 max.
Bring an awning 1 included, 1 max.
Bring a pup tent 1 included, 1 max.
Car 0 included, 2 max.
Dog(s) allowed 2 included, 2 max.

Other restrictions

Extras

Car (2 max)

£4 (£4) per night

You will be able to choose extras on the booking page.

Arrival days

From £24 (£24) 1 night, 2 adults

View prices & book

Reviews

would recommend this site to a friend

would stay here again

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1

Only showing reviews for the last 30 months.

The owner were very friendly and we loved the setting of the…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	8
Wifi	No rating

Bettina L. Aug 2024

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: The owner were very friendly and we loved the setting of the camping site: a peaceful meadow within the woods.

Disliked: The toilets could have been freed up from spider webs and insects.

Recommend to friends Visit again

A very lovely place, amazing woods to explore and friendly people. We…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Anonymous Jul 2024

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: A very lovely place, amazing woods to explore and friendly people. We will be back. Highly recommended.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely host, very accommodating. Woods are great to explore and the kids…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	2

Lauren C. Jun 2024

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Lovely host, very accommodating. Woods are great to explore and the kids loved the rope swings. Campfires allowed, good clean facilities and the shower block is A++ if you need it. Be prepared to load your stuff into a trolley and haul it to your pitch. We were fine with this, but it was hard work! (All part of the fun!). Make sure you pack wellies as long grass is wet in morning. Watch out for greedy crows.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Beautiful campsite and clean facilities, despite it being so wet and muddy.…

Overall	8/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	8

Anonymous May 2024

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Beautiful campsite and clean facilities, despite it being so wet and muddy. Amazing surroundings! Loved the walks through the forest, and so peaceful! Friendly owner, nice little shop and cafe on site.

Disliked: The only reason I can't give a full 5 stars is that the grass on the wild camping field was very long and meadow like, which made everything quite difficult as the weather was so wet, and tricky to see where was level to pitch the tent.
Its quite a trek from the car park to camping field as it says in the listing, but I defo underestimated how far it would feel whilst pulling heavy trolleys!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Lovely campsite, spacious field. Woodland around the campsite was great for the…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	6

Anonymous May 2024

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Lovely campsite, spacious field. Woodland around the campsite was great for the kids to enjoy. Good toilet/shower facilities.

Disliked: No hot water for washing up.

Recommend to friends Visit again

We loved the campsite. The field for pitching is huge and you…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	2

Anonymous May 2024

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: We loved the campsite. The field for pitching is huge and you can pitch your tent whenever you like! Enchanting woodland from all sides…what is not to like?!

Recommend to friends Visit again

Excellent pitch and farm shop!

Overall	8/10
Location	10
Value for money	8
Accommodation	8
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	8
Wifi	2

Paul G. Sept 2023

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: The main site has plenty of space and is surrounded by woodland with trails, feels really peaceful. Plenty of shade and open space to catch the sun.

Awesome farm shop and really friendly staff. Toilets and shower block were also really clean and plenty of.

Disliked: It's been said on other reviews but it really is true - you will be woken up early every day by the dozens of children running through the woods which surround the site.

Wasn't a fan of the pylon in the field.

By far my biggest complaint is the trolleys you have to use to take your kit from the car park; half don't work very well, and all only have two wheels. They are genuinely quite hard to use, having four wheels would be so much easier.

Recommend to friends Visit again

Great location, lovely woods for the kids to play in and simple…

Overall	8/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	10
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	8
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	No rating

Anonymous Jul 2023

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Great location, lovely woods for the kids to play in and simple camping - getting back to nature.

Disliked: Haven’t given 5 stars as we were unfortunate to have an extremely disruptive group of older teenagers that were in incredibly loud all weekend, over the top screaming and despite moving our tent to the other side of the field for our 2nd night, they could still be heard after midnight causing a disturbance. There didn’t seem to be any enforceable rules for noise after a certain hour.

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks very much for your review, for the sake of others reading this and when you come again ( hopefully) I am always here, everyone has my mobile number and I'm only a text away, it happens very rarely but I'm always on hand to deal with annoying teens. To be honest we very rarely get teenagers as what we offer just isn't what they want, we are very much mainly families with primary school aged children. Thanks Amanda

We had a fantastic x1 nights stay at Dernwood campsite this weekend.…

Overall	10/10
Location	10
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	10

Lucy E. Jun 2023

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: We had a fantastic x1 nights stay at Dernwood campsite this weekend. We booked last minute, but couldn't be happier with our choice, site is small, but perfectly formed, full of quiet and respectful fellow campers. Lovely little cafe and farm shop where you can buy all your food essentials if you haven't brought them with you. My advice, travel as light as possible, as you have to transport your gear to the camping field on trolleys. Well worth it though as camping without cars around is a joy. Already looking forward to our next weekend trip. Thankyou Dernwood 🙂

Disliked: Nothing

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Hi Lucy, Thanks for your review, looking forwrd to seeing you again! x

Very spacious camping field. Lovely woods to explore and a very yummy…

Overall	10/10
Location	8
Value for money	10
Accommodation	10
Facilities / Activities	8
Customer service	10
Child friendliness	10
Cleanliness	10
Wifi	2

Louella M. Jun 2023

Non-electric grass tent pitch

Liked: Very spacious camping field. Lovely woods to explore and a very yummy Cafe!

Recommend to friends Visit again

From the manager: Thanks for your review! x

Features

Dogs allowed

Campfires allowed

Leisure on site

Bar or club house Cycle hire Evening entertainment Fishing Fitness centre Games room Indoor swimming pool Kids' club On-site restaurant/cafe Outdoor swimming pool Play area TV room Take away Tennis Watersports

Amenities on site

Bath available Car parking by pitch/unit Composting toilet Dog park Drying room Food shop Free wifi Ice pack freezing Internet access Launderette Local produce Parent & baby washroom Pick-up from public transport Portable toilet Pub toilets Public telephone Shower available Tents for hire Toilet block Washing-up area Wifi

Groups welcome

D. of E. welcome Family friendly Motorcycle friendly Single-sex groups welcome Student groups welcome

Rules

Barbecue provided Barbecues allowed Campfires allowed Commercial vehicles allowed Dogs allowed Dogs allowed all year

Themes

Forest Gastronomic delight Luxury Peaceful Wild camping Wildlife haven

Utilities

Charging facilities Chemical disposal Electric car charging point(s) Gas cylinders available Recycling available Renewable energy

Nearby amenities

Bar nearby Dog walk nearby Nearby farmers' market Public transport nearby Shop nearby

Type

Farm Medium (26-50 pitches)

Accessibility

Disabled facilities

Nearby leisure

Climbing nearby Cycle hire nearby Cycling nearby Fishing nearby Golf nearby Horse riding nearby Indoor pool nearby Outdoor pool nearby Restaurant nearby Sailing nearby Tennis nearby

Location

Dernwood Farm Wild Camping

Little Dernwood Farm

Dern Lane

Heathfield

East Sussex

England

TN21 0PN

Directions

Timezone

Europe/London GMT (GMT+00:00)

GPS

50.93204°N
0.20988°W

Route directions

Note to satnav users: the postcode covers a number of different farms and some satnavs will direct you to Summersbrook Farm to the north and Stream Farm to the south. Please just keep going and you will find the site. Little Dernwood Farm is at the top of the hill, opposite Copford Farm. The car park is at the top of the drive through the wooden gate: please park up and go to the house or farm office by the house.

Nearest transport

Coach

3 mi Golden Cross Inn

5.2 mi Tesco

Rail

5.3 mi Buxted Rail Station

5.6 mi Uckfield Rail Station

6.6 mi Berwick (Sussex) Rail Station

Ferry

11.9 mi Newhaven Harbour Ferry Terminal

Airport

22.5 mi London Gatwick Airport

22.5 mi London Gatwick Airport South Terminal

22.9 mi Shoreham Brighton City Airport

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Local attractions

Guests can bring a bike and head off down the Cuckoo Trail, 11 miles of former railway track converted into a wildlife-friendly green corridor running from Heathfield to Eastbourne Park. The surfaced path is great for ramblers and horse riders too. The moated splendour of Herstmonceux Castle (25 minutes' drive) is a sight to behold; take a tour of the interiors and the Elizabethan walled gardens before hitting the tea shop. Adjacent to the castle the Observatory Science Centre (combined tickets are available) with its domes, telescopes and hands-on fun. Also close to Dernwood is Bateman’s (25 minutes), the beautiful Jacobean home of Rudyard Kipling, preserved in its original splendour by the National Trust. If you need to entertain the kids, try bouncing about at Urban Jump Trampoline Park (10 minutes) or visiting the waterslides, petting zoo and owl sanctuary at Knockhatch Adventure Park (15 minutes).

Water quality at nearby bathing waters

Name	Distance	Type	2020	2019	2018	2017
Pevensey Bay	10.4 mi	Sea	N/A	Good	Good	Good
Norman`S Bay	10.8 mi	Sea	N/A	Good	Good	Excellent
Seaford	12.2 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
Eastbourne	12.3 mi	Sea	N/A	Good	Good	Excellent
Birling Gap	13.1 mi	Sea	N/A	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent

Data source: European Environment Agency

Must see

Drusillas Park 7.8 mi

Batemans 8.4 mi

Alfriston Clergy House 9 mi

Sheffield Park Garden 9.9 mi

Bluebell Railway 10.1 mi

National Trust

Bateman's 8.3 mi

Alfriston Clergy House 9 mi

Sheffield Park Garden 9.9 mi

Monk's House 10.7 mi

Scotney Castle 14 mi

Cycle routes

Find local routes on the National Cycle Network - over 12,000 miles of cycling routes.

Other

HEATHFIELD PARK 3.5 mi

HORSTED PLACE 5.2 mi

BUXTED PARK 5.5 mi

Mayfield - Batt's Wood - Wadhurst Deer-Park - Mayfield 6.5 mi

Mayfield - Renhurst Farm - Bassetts - Mayfield 6.5 mi

Please note: All distances on this page are calculated "as the crow flies" - please check actual distance depending on your mode of travel using the Get directions button above.

Policies

Booking terms and conditions

Admission

Admission is only permitted after registering at reception.
At least one of the party members must be aged 18 or over.
Under 18s must be accompanied by their parents or legal guardians.

Arrivals and departures

No refunds/discounts for inclement weather, late arrivals or early departures.
The site will send you further check-in information 5 day(s) before your arrival.
Units will be allocated on arrival.

Changes to your holiday

Bookings cannot be amended within 7 day(s) of arrival.

Dogs

Dogs must be kept on leads and supervised at all times.
The site does not accept breeds/crossbreeds listed in the Dangerous Dogs Act (i.e. Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, and Fila Brasileiro).

General

Please note that the toilet/shower facilities are unisex.
Public areas are non-smoking.
Quiet hours must be respected between 11 p.m. and 6:30 a.m..
This is a quiet site: no music is allowed.

Occupancy

No hen/stag parties permitted via Pitchup.com.
Single-sex bookings of 6 or more people (couples and immediate family members excepted) are not permitted via Pitchup.com.
The site caters for families (immediate members) and couples only - bookings from all other forms of groups are not accepted.

Reception

If reception is closed on arrival: please contact the number provided on your booking confirmation.

Vehicles

No cars/motorbikes by the pitch/unit. All cars must be parked in the designated area.

Additional terms

We do have recycling facilities; however, we kindly ask you to discard all unnecessary packaging prior to arrival.

The camping field is located a 10-minute walk from the car park and through the woods. This track can get muddy due to rain. We do provide wheelbarrows to help you get your gear to the field, but please remember, you will have to carry anything you bring.

Payment terms

Nearest sites

Unfortunately, we have no nearby bookable sites.

Frequently asked questions

Does Dernwood Farm Wild Camping have a swimming pool? No View all features
Is Dernwood Farm Wild Camping dog friendly? Yes View all features
What attractions are near Dernwood Farm Wild Camping? Guests can bring a bike and head off down the Cuckoo Trail, 11 miles of former railway track converted into a wildlife-friendly green corridor running from Heathfield to Eastbourne Park. The surfaced … Read more
When can I check in and check out of Dernwood Farm Wild Camping?

Camping and touring

Arrive: 2 p.m. – Anytime

Depart by: 1:30 p.m.

Read more
How much does it cost to stay at Dernwood Farm Wild Camping? From £24 (for 1 night, 2 adults) - prices may change depending on your dates and party.